GUNNISON, Colo. --- The Western Colorado women's soccer team continues RMAC play at home this week as the Mountaineers host Colorado Christian 3 p.m. Thursday and No. 13 Colorado School of Mines 1 p.m. Saturday at Katy O. Rady Field.

Due to COVID-19 and a shortened season, the RMAC was split into two divisions with Western Colorado in a division with Fort Lewis, Colorado Christan, Colorado School of Mines, CSU Pueblo and Adams State. The top four in each conference will make the RMAC Tournament with standings being determined by points per match (total points - three for a win, one for a tie - divided by games played).

Since no games have been postponed to force the calculation of points per game, the standings by total points thus far is Mines leading the way with seven points (2-0-1), CSU Pueblo second with four points (1-0-1), Fort Lewis is third with three points (1-0) while Western (0-1), CCU (0-1) and Adams State (0-2) have zero points.

MOUNTAINEERS HEADING INTO THE WEEK | SPRING 2021 SEASON STATS
Western Colorado opened RMAC play Sunday with a 3-0 loss at Fort Lewis. The Skyhawks scored a pair of goals in the first half while adding another in the second half. Alex Mason led the Mountaineers with two of their eight shots, including one of their four shots on goal. 

Caileen Sienknecht leads the Mountaineers with one goal while Laura Pelino has a team-high nine shots. At keeper, Kaeyla Noble has a 0.724 save percentage with 21 saves and a 3.8 GAA in 190 minutes while Grace Walker has a 0.742 save percentage, 23 saves and a 2.77 GAA in 260 minutes.

COLORADO CHRISTIAN HEADING INTO THE WEEK | SPRING 2021 SEASON STATS
The Cougars haven't played since March 21, a 1-0 loss to Colorado School of Mines at home. CCU's two wins have both come against 0-8 Black Hills State, though they also lost a tight contest to MSU Denver 2-1 on March 7 with their other loss a 4-0 defeat against Regis. All of the Cougars' games have been at home this season - with Thursday being their first road contest.

Kinley Sanders leads the Cougars with two goals while Brook Schultz and Taya Starnes have a goal apiece. Starnes leads the team with 10 shots while Alaina Kregel has nine. Ireland VanDyke and Ashleigh Maguire have split time nearly evenly at keeper with VanDyke owning at 0.74 GAA with a 0.857 save percentage while Maguire has a 2.26 GAA with a 0.714 save percentage.

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES HEADING INTO THE WEEK | SPRING 2021 SEASON STATS
The Orediggers are coming off a 1-1 draw at home against CSU Pueblo on Saturday and a 3-0 win over Adams State on Friday. In the tie with the ThunderWolves, CSM's Chaney Brugman scored her third goal of the season at the 25:08 mark in the first half - only for the Orediggers to be called for a penalty in the box 42 seconds later and CSU Pueblo scoring on the penalty kick.

Eliot Edwards leads the team with eight points (three goals, two assists) while Brugman has seven points (three goals and an assist) and AK Ford has four points (two goals). At keeper, Sierra Roth has played 514 of the team's 580 minutes and owns a 0.18 GAA, a 0.938 save percentage and 15 saves.

THE MOUNTAINEERS VS. CCU, CSM ALL-TIME
The Mountaineers are 3-2-4 all-time against Colorado Christian - losing to the Cougars 4-0 last season on the road. At home, Western is 2-0-2 against CCU - including winning 2-1 in 2018 in the teams' last matchup in Gunnison.

Western Colorado is 1-8 all-time against Colorado School of Mines, dropping its last five matchups against the Orediggers - including falling 11-0 in Golden last season. The Mountaineers are 1-2 at home against CSM with that win coming Oct. 16, 2016, in a 3-2 double overtime victory when the Orediggers were ranked No. 3 in the country.
 

WESTERN COLORADO NOTES

- WELCOME TO KATY O. RADY FIELD - THE HIGHEST COLLEGIATE SOCCER FIELD IN THE WORLD
Western Colorado women's soccer will debut Katy O. Rady Field this season and it will be the highest collegiate soccer field in the world at 7,723 feet. 

- MOUNTAINEERS LED BY FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACH AMANDA RASO
The Mountaineers have a new coach heading into this season as Amanda Raso takes over. Raso spent the previous two seasons at NCAA Division I North Dakota where she supervised the goalkeepers during two of the most successful seasons in Fighting Hawks D-I history. The Aurora, Colorado, native was also an assistant coach at Fort Lewis (2015-17), played for the Skyhawks (2010-14) and also served as a graduate assistant at Midwestern State.

- MOUNTAINEERS PICKED 12TH IN RMAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL (RELEASE)
The Western Colorado women's soccer team was picked 12th in the RMAC when the conference released its preseason coaches poll. The Mountaineers went 3-13-1 in 2019, including 3-9-1 in RMAC play to finish 11th in the conference. This will be the first season under new coach Amanda Raso for Western Colorado as well as its first season on the new Katy O. Rady Field.

RMAC Coaches Poll (first place votes)

1. Colorado School of Mines – 137 (8)

2. UCCS – 121 (3)

3. Westminster – 117 (1)

4. Fort Lewis – 96

5. MSU Denver – 89

6. Regis – 87

7. CSU Pueblo -83

8. Colorado Mesa – 73

9. Colorado Christian – 61

10. Adams State – 60 (1)

11. Black Hills State – 43

12. Western Colorado – 32